Chapter 366: That Is Really Strange!

Three days later, on Heaven-Reaching Peak...

"Senior Brother Chu, this is what you asked for."

"Is the scent pure?"

"Yes, I guarantee it."

"Try it."

Wen Yulong showed a rather pained expression. "Won't it be a waste?"

"It's fine. We can produce more in the future," Chu Liang reassured Wen Yulong.

Wen Yulong then opened the long, narrow brocade box in his hand. It contained ten slender sticks of incense.

He gently picked one up, inserted it into the incense burner beside him, and lit it.

A thin wisp of azure smoke rose into the air. The two young men in the room inhaled the smoke and immediately felt their minds brighten with clarity. They seemed to be able to sense the flow of spiritual energy in the world.

"Not bad." Chu Liang smiled. "The effect is great."

Wen Yulong carefully snuffed out the incense and laughed gleefully. "As always, the spirit plants that you bring to me are the only ones that are truly powerful, Brother Chu. I've only heard of a few treasures like this that can enhance a person's divine intent and aid them in achieving enlightenment, but they are all very precious."

"It was just a lucky encounter," Chu Liang replied.

It had been a truly amazing stroke of luck.

He'd killed some wine-jar monsters and obtained some seeds of the Intoxicating Spirit Flower. Then he grew a few Intoxicating Spirit Flower plants. When the flowers bloomed, they released an intense fragrance that intoxicated beings that smelled it. The scent also made those who smelled it feel mentally clear and physically light.

However, the flowers only stayed in bloom for a very short period, and the effects were not very strong, so there was nothing notable about that. Then that fire crane accidentally fell into the garden and ignited the leaves of the Intoxicating Spirit Flower. That was when Chu Liang discovered that burning the leaves of the flower also produced the same effect of having clearing the mind, just without the fragrance.

Moreover, these leaves were quite slow to burn; one leaf lasted for a short while. This made the flowers seem rather useless in comparison.

Nevertheless, Chu Liang still wasn't satisfied. So, he found Wen Yulong and asked him to do some research and testing. He wanted to see if the leaves of the Intoxicating Spirit Flower could be made into spirit incense so that the effects produced by burning the leaves could last longer.

Of course, Wen Yulong did not disappoint. The incense he made could burn for four hours, allowing the effect of having a clear mind to last through that entire duration. It was a very powerful incense. The long duration of the incense could be very beneficial to a cultivator, regardless of whether they were thinking about something, practicing their divine abilities, or comprehending the Great Dao.

Wen Yulong said, "This spirit incense has never been made before. I plan to name it Spirit-Awakening Incense, What do you think?"

Accustomed to naming his enchanted tools, he had already thought of a name for the spirit incense.

"Spirit-Awakening Incense..." Chu Liang muttered. He then shook his head. "This name isn't impressive enough; it won't sell well."

Wen Yulong didn't argue. He just asked, "What would you call it, Senior Brother Chu?"

After all, based on what he'd witnessed in the past, Chu Liang's ideas were usually good.

Chu Liang pondered for a moment and then suggested, "How about Fragrance of Enlightenment?"

"Fragrance of Enlightenment?" Wen Yulong uttered, taken aback.

He considered it for a moment. The name is fine. It's just... a bit exaggerated.

It was certain that this spirit incense would aid in a cultivator's comprehension of the Great Dao, but it was uncertain as to just how effective it was in that regard.

"Keep half of this box as your pay. I'll take the rest back to test the effects," Chu Liang said. "I'll give you another batch of Intoxicating Spirit Flower Leaves later, and you can turn them all into the Fragrance of Enlightenment."

These past few nights, Chu Liang had been going to Bombax River. Every day, there were eight to ten wine-jar monsters there catching lingering spirits, and Chu Liang quickly formed a deep bond with them. He would be really sad if there were to come a night when he couldn't see them anymore.

As for his initial reason for killing the wine-jar monsters, he had already forgotten about it.

What thorny black balls?

He knew nothing about them.

After accepting several sticks of the incense Fragrance of Enlightenment, Wen Yulong said, "Also, I've opened up those storage enchanted tools you gave me last time."

Wen Yulong laid out the storage enchanted tools Chu Liang had taken from the disciples of the Inferno Devil Valley.

Then he continued, "And here are the several sets of damaged Inferno Devil Armor. The enchanted formation inscriptions are so severely damaged that I can't repair them. However, I found that by piecing them together, we might be able to make one complete set. The Inferno Devil Valley's armors are famous worldwide. If I make some modifications, I'm sure it will be extraordinarily powerful."

"Hmm..." Chu Liang forced a smile. "Actually, even just restoring a full set of armor will be an amazing feat. You don't have to persist with the modifications if they're too difficult to make."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Chu," Wen Yulong said. "We artificers are never afraid of running into difficulties."

You don't fear running into difficulties, but I do... Chu Liang muttered inwardly.

Nevertheless, he let Wen Yulong be.

After all, Junior Brother Wen has helped me a lot these days. I'll just let him have this little bit of freedom.

It was just a set of Inferno Devil Armor. If it got ruined during the modification process, then Chu Liang just wouldn't wear it. He already had the protection of the Jiuli Soul Armor anyway.

Nevertheless, if Wen Yulong succeeded with the modifications, Chu Liang might be pleasantly surprised by the result. After all, who would mind having an extra set of armor?

Chu Liang's divine sense swept through the storage enchanted tools and changed his opinion of those fifth-realm disciples of the Inferno Devil Valley.

They hadn't been elite fifth-realm cultivators; they were poor fifth-realm cultivators. They were even poorer than those Fiends of the Dark King Sect that Chu Liang had encountered in the past. These guys had nothing valuable. There were some intact enchanted tools, pills, and arts manuals, but they were all specific to diabolical sects. Chu Liang had no use for them except to turn them in for some sword coins.

This reminded Chu Liang of a popular joke in the world of immortality cultivators.

It went like this. Among the nine cultivation realms, the fifth realm, the Realm of the Five Elements, had another name—the Realm of Financial Strain.

This was because cultivators at realms lower than the fifth realm didn't need that many resources, so they could save money. On the other hand, those at the sixth realm and above had much better ways to earn money than those at the fifth realm.

Fifth-realm cultivators were the only ones that needed to consume precious treasures of nature to advance through every level of realm. This usually placed the cultivators in financial strain, leaving many destitute.

Of course, that was a distant reality for the elite disciples of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten.

...

Later in the day, Chu Liang arrived at his and Jiang Yuebai's old hangout on Treasured Pagoda Peak. He was there to meet Jiang Yuebai in private.

Jiang Yuebai was already waiting for him in the cave.

She asked softly, "What is it this time?"

"Senior Sister, I have something good to show you," Chu Liang answered with a smile.

Jiang Yuebai had been busy studying fifth-realm divine arts lately, so it had been quite a while since the two of them last met up. Chu Liang had specifically requested that she meet him today.

Chu Liang tugged on Jiang Yuebai, gesturing for her to sit down. Then he placed an incense burner on the table and inserted a stick of the incense Fragrance of Enlightenment.

Jiang Yuebai's face suddenly turned red.

She sprang up and questioned, "What are you doing??"

Huh?

Seeing her reaction, Chu Liang realized that the way he pulled her over to him with the incense burner in front of them was indeed quite similar to something else... It looked like they were about to pay their respects to someone or something together...[1]

Chu Liang hurriedly explained, "It's a new little thing I discovered. I named it Fragrance of Enlightenment. It's very beneficial for cultivation, and I want you to experience it too."

Finally understanding what was going on, Jiang Yuebai nodded and said, "Oh, I see."

Once the Fragrance of Enlightenment was lit, Jiang Yuebai's eyes lit up as well.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

This spirit incense was indeed extraordinary. The effect of the incense wasn't very strong, but it was a rare effect other treasures could not produce. That alone made this spirit incense exceptional.

"Try cultivating in this state, Senior Sister. If it works well, I'll bring you more in the future," Chu Liang said with a smile.

Jiang Yuebai nodded. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

She immediately got into a cross-legged position on the couch and activated the Qi-Circulation Technique.

Jiang Yuebai didn't realize it, but the fact that she could enter a meditative state and activate her qi circulation without hesitation in front of Chu Liang showed she trusted him greatly. It was rare for her to trust anyone that much.

Jiang Yuebai had initially thought she would just try out cultivating in this clear-headed state, but once her qi was in circulation, she immediately felt different from usual.

Her complex meridian system, every wisp of foundational qi, and the intricate workings of her qi-circulation route had all become so clear in her mind. Jiang Yuebai’s control over her qi circulation had gone up a notch.

She had experienced this feeling before. It was when she was still at the fourth rank. She had used the power of her Transcendent Spirit to achieve Perfect Qi Circulation.

Some time after that, Jiang Yuebai reached the fifth realm. Nevertheless, she still had yet to reach the threshold of Perfect Qi Circulation.

Perhaps she had been just a hair's breadth away this whole time. The effect of the Fragrance of Enlightenment helped her bridge that last gap, allowing her to understand what she had been lacking.

As Chu Liang watched Jiang Yuebai cultivate, he felt a sudden surge of waves in his Sea of Qi. The Large-Headed Dolls inside the White Pagoda were circulating qi at an accelerated rate.

This is... Perfect Qi Circulation!

Boom!

A second later, Jiang Yuebai glowed with lights of five colors. The light illuminated the whole cave and even overflowed outside.

The five lights condensed into five different qi. The platinum-colored qi was the densest, so much so that it seemed like something of substance. Meanwhile, the other four qi were still a bit dispersed.

The five beams of glowing qi shot out from Pagoda Peak and headed straight for the horizon! It was the Transformation of Five Qi into Essence!

This was the Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon that occurred when a cultivator achieved Perfect Qi Circulation while cultivating the Divine Nine's Profound Mental Cultivation Technique: The Book of Five Elements!

Observing this phenomenon up close, Chu Liang felt inspired and quickly got into a cross-legged position too.

The occurrence of one cultivator's Perfect Qi Circulation could trigger the activation of another cultivator's qi-circulation technique if they used the same one. It allowed the secondary cultivator to echo the Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon. There had been a precedent where all of the Mount Shu Sect benefited from a seventh-realm cultivator's Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon.

At this moment, Chu Liang was the only one who got to benefit from Jiang Yuebai's Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon. His Sea of Qi surged with raging waves, reaching a peak state.

Chu Liang absorbed a Dragon-Blood Crystal, elevating his vitality, qi, and spirit to peak states too. He then put all of his efforts into circulating his qi.

Boom!

A moment later, Chu Liang exuded white waves of qi. In the blink of an eye, the waves reformed as a Sea of Qi. Its huge billowing waves hung in the air like clouds of white fog. A sun-like golden orb bobbed up and down amid the billowing waves, appearing and disappearing.

As Chu Liang's five qi transformed into essence, the Sea of Qi Phenomenon gradually rose from the Sea of Qi and ascended toward the sky with the five colored lights. The sky over Treasured Pagoda Peak was filled with the colors of cultivation phenomena!

...

All of the Mount Shu Sect saw this wondrous scene.

"What is that?!"

"It's the Transformation of Five Qi into Essence Phenomenon! It's the Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon of The Book of Five Elements!"

"In our sect, Senior Sister Jiang's the only one who would have the ability to achieve that, right?"

"Yes, it must be her. She has the Transcendent Spirit. Who else could achieve Perfect Qi Circulation—hang on..."

"Then what's with that rising Sea of Qi Phenomenon?"

"It's the fourth-realm Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon!"

"In our sect, the only one who could achieve that is probably Senior Brother Chu!"

"That's right. It must be him. I remember him showing that he had a deep understanding of how to achieve Perfect Qi Circulation at Senior Sister Jiang's lecture. So, it's not surprising that if he's achieved it."

"..."

Disciples and sect members all over Mount Shu's thirty-six peaks stopped to watch the cultivation phenomena and discuss spiritedly. Of course, it was inevitable that they would have questions about what they saw.

"It's not surprising that Senior Sister Jiang achieved a Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon. Likewise, it's not surprising that Senior Brother Chu would achieve one too. But... why are their phenomena intertwined?!"

"That's really strange!"

1. I assume they're thinking about the wedding ritual, where they pay their respects to the Heavens and the Earth and their ancestors. ☜